Harish writes to Uttam, pushes for immediate Apex Council meet to discuss Banakacherla project ‘violations'

HYDERABAD
Stating that the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Project, proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government, would be detrimental to Telangana's water interests, senior BRS leader and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao urged Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to impress upon Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to immediately convene an Apex Council meeting to discuss the alleged violation of the Reorganisation Act 2014.
In a letter to Mr. Reddy on Sunday, Mr. Rao urged government to immediately convene an all-party meeting, besides holding a special session of the State Assembly to arrive at a policy decision on the Banakacherla project.
Pointing out that Telangana will get an additional 157.5 tmc ft of Krishna water as its rightful share, if 80 tmc ft is moved to the Krishna Delta through Polavaram project, he said that Telangana will have the flexibility to use this water for other projects that do not have proper water allocations, such as SLBC, Kalvakurthi, Nettempadu, Palamuru-Ranga Reddy and Dindi.
'Telangana should seek this additional share of 157.5 tmc ft before the Brijesh Tribunal, discuss with legal experts, and take appropriate action. Engineering experts suggest that Telangana may positively consider the Godavari-Banakacherla link if AP agrees to these rights,' he said.
Meanwhile, he lauded Mr. Reddy's recent letter to Mr. Patil, opposing the project, and urged the State government to prioritise TG interests over politics and assured full support in protecting its water rights.

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